above the runway, the nose gear slips into place and the plane touched down without incident prompting a huge round of applause from the passengers. >> i guess so. well, the search is on for two missing tennessee children. initially believed to have died in a fire near nashville. investigators say no remains of 9-year-old chloe and 7-year-old brother gauge were found in the burned out farmhouse where they lived with the grandparents. but the grandparents' bodies, they were recovered. the children were last seen sunday evening. police in suburban detroit are looking into a new claim about the location of jimmy hoffa's body. they will take soil samples from the ground beneath a driveway after a man told them he believes he witnessed hoffa's burial 35 years ago. there have been a number of searches for hoffa since the teamster leader disappeared in 1975. an enduring mystery there. wow. what has four wheels and fleas?

well, take a look at this. dogs competing in stroller races in a california backyard. other dogs are their hapless passengers. the four canines live with the same california family. >> they need more maneuverable strollers there. but that's not all they can do. this talented crew, races on scooters and kiddie cars with more crashes than bumpers car. their owner says they're all total clowns and having fun. look at those wagging tails. you can see, the proof is in the pudding. >> that is cute video. all right. coming up next, she made magic and millions, almost a billion from the harry potter series for kids. but now will j.k. rowling reel in their parents. we'll hear from the author as she prepares to release her first book for adults. also coming up, a food fight in cafeterias across this country. why students say eating all the healthy food is leaving them hungry for more. you are watching "world news now." ♪

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another step forward in our mission for health. ♪ well, gone are the days when the school cafeteria was a smorgasbord of high fat, high calorie food.

new federal guidelines make healthy foods all the rage. >> or are they? in schools across the country, a backlash against new school lunches is well under way. abc's jim avila surveys the complaints. >> reporter: it is the lunchroom revolt. students and teachers at this kansas high school creating a viral video protesting the new calorie cutting menus in their cafeteria. they say they're just not getting enough to eat. ♪ we are hungry >> reporter: their complaint, new usda school lunch guidelines rolled out this fall, limiting calories to fight the obesity epidemic among america's youth. the new nutritionist recommended rules restrict elementary schoolers to 650 calories, 700 calories for middle schoolers, 850 for high schoolers.

today, you may still find pizza, chicken fingers and french fries but not every day. half of the plate must be filled with vegetable and fruit, milk or fruit smoothie on every tray in some schools the amount of food thrown out in cafeterias is shocking. this month we visited a school in suburban chicago where high schoolers analyzed their lunch waste. shocked to find 46 boxes of pears. >> they're all unopened. >> reporter: the week before, 111 vegetable containers were thrown away. >> schools tell us they're seeing a 50% increase in the amount of lunchroom trash. >> too healthy almost. >> reporter: the usda says the new menus are working at some schools. and the rules are long overdue. >> this is really about our children and health of our children. and making sure that we do a better job of providing fruits and vegetables and low fat dairy and whole grains. why, a third of our youngsters are obese or at risk of being obese. >> reporter: plus, despite calorie limits, students can always get seconds of fruits and

vegetables. so while the healthy food is on the tray, the challenge for america's lunch lady is to get the kids to eat it. jim avila, abc news. bristol, virginia. >> drastic change from the days we were in school, mystery meat, jell-o, any change like that will take some time. maybe a long-term goal, if you begin healthy habits now -- >> early. >> -- will lead them into adulthood, healthier than maybe folks are now. >> remember the square pizzas we would get. they said they're having much more success with elementary students. and i think. oh. >> look at that. >> is that -- >> aluminum lunch boxes. >> mork and mindy. >> rob as mork. >> robin williams in the day. >> had to strawberry shortcake pail.

all right. coming up next -- don't know what that was. from single mother to creator of the best-selling book series in history. >> j.k. rowling at it again with a different audience in mind. can she re-create her success with adults? we'll hear what she says about it. coming up next.

author j.k. rowling is up to something very new. >> here is the story. >> reporter: books, movies. >> you are a wizard, harry. >> reporter: merchandise. a theme park. the harry potter universe, j.k. rowling's creation has spellbound millions. but now rowling is leaving her wizarding world behind for a decidedly adult novel called "the casual vacancy." you have gone it seems to me, from the ultimate fantasy to the ultimate reality.

>> i have gone from dragons and unicorns and all of the fun that is involved in writing that to a book that's intensely personal, that expresses a lot of my reality. >> reporter: rowling insists the book is not a memoir but did draw on the darker times of her life to craft her characters. >> we have an adult character that has obsessive compulsive disorder these are things i know from the inside, yeah. >> the ocd part as well. >> when i was in my teens i had issues with ocd. >> how did it manifest? >> compulsions like checking things. it is very common. checking, double checking, triple checking. >> reporter: some might wonder why, rowling, almost billionaire would write a book putting her reputation on the line. how will you decide whether this was a success? >> it won't sell as many as

"harry potter." lightning doesn't strike twice. >> reporter: instead of chasing harry, rowling says she has writ in a book she felt she had to write, asking us to confront the darkest side of our humanity and grapple with it. cynthia mcfadden, abc news, edinboro. i looked at my options. then i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call now and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, it helps pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you thousands in out-of-pocket costs. to me, relationships matter. i've been with my doctor for 12 years. now i know i'll be able to stick with him.

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hotwire to fill them. so i got my four-star hotels for half-price! >> men: ♪ h-o-t-w-i-r-e ♪ hotwire.com >> announcer: save big on car rentals too, from $12.95 a day. ♪ oh i need someone to read me stories ♪ ♪ oh someone to turn the page finally this half hour, something very special for our friend and our colleague robin roberts. >> robin, of course, working hard on her recovery. we thought she could use a little pick-me-up to help her feel better. >> a pick-me-up and the polka master in the house. barry mitchell. >> cheer our girl up, barry.

♪ she's up before sunrise this tv host while you're making toast ♪ ♪ has a lot of courage and a lot of class ♪ ♪ she helps gma kick the other show's -- ratings ♪ ♪ rockin' robin rockin' robin go rockin' robin and you're really going to feel all right ♪ ♪ but we have no budget this is all that you get ♪ ♪ so we send this greeting it's really no fuss ♪ ♪ i just want it to rhyme stephanopoulos ♪ ♪ rockin' robin rockin' robin ♪ go rockin' robin and you're really going to feel all right ♪ ♪ discipline determination are your guiding principals and we are on board ♪ ♪ but for inspiration that begins with "d" it's "dancing with the stars" on abc ♪ ♪ training led-up to sports whether basketball or on the

tennis courts when you're strong and healthy then we'll proudly say go on with your bad self ms. robin rene ♪ ♪ rockin' robin rockin' roberts ♪ ♪ rockin' robin and you're really going to feel right ♪ one more time gangnam style! ♪ go, rocking robin, you are going to feel well ♪ get well soon! >> very nice, barry. very nice. i'm sure robin appreciates that. she is doing her best to get better. we all think about her, praying for her. sending her love. >> and the "world news now" polka. >> don't bring false hopes here, it's still thursday. >> you better get started on the recovery song. >> i promise, i promise, i will. >> one more, time, let's go out! ♪ rockin' robin rockin' robin

this morning on "world news now," we have some breaking news. done deal, the nfl's official, officials are officially going back to work. >> it took that disastrous "monday night football" call to finally end the league's lockout of the regular refs. it is thursday, september 27th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." good thursday morning, everybody. i'm paula faris. >> and i'm rob nelson. we'll get to the details of the late night nfl settlement in just a second. certainly, welcome news, the real refs back on the field tonight for the game. so let it begin. >> yes. >> yes, yes, man.

also this half hour -- >> they won't make one mistake either. >> wishful thinking. also this half hour, anger at the airlines, passengers have had it up to here with baggage fees. there are some steep new charges on the way. >> had it up to where? >> here. >> i couldn't see. and bittersweet homecoming troops just back from battle carrying the memories of their brothers who didn't return. >> you may want to grab the tissues on that story. beautiful scene there. also, later on, in much lighter news, jersey shore -- jewels. j-woww. yep. news about her. you won't believe what she has on her finger. some big news for snooki had the baby. now j-woww has some big personal news. and her hand is just a little heavy these days. we'll get into that. >> i wonder why? it could be heavy? little c.z. there. >> i get it, a tease kind of. begin with the breaking news.

deal between the national football league and their referees. the lockout is -- over. >> score. >> in the end it was the chaos of course, over that disastrous call monday night by replacement refs that forced the two side back to the table for some marathon talks. >> they have to go through it. it, but, hopefully you can build some character and we can learn something. one thing that we really learned from this as frustrating as it is ultimately it is a game judged by people who are imperfect. >> of course, some judgments are more imperfect than others. so, everyone is glad the professionals will be back tonight. it did not take long once the unroar got creche crescendoed after monday night. here we are. done deal. joining us now to talk more about the deal is espn radio new york's jason page. good morning. >> good morning.

>> thank you for joining us. i have got to believe the call in seattle ruined the game for the packers that expedited the deal, did it not? >> it sure did. think about this for a second. this has been going on between the referees and the league since june or july. it took three days to bridge a gap between the owners and the referees and the commissioner and the referees that couldn't be bridged going back to june or july. in my eyes, that's embarrassment for the league and the commissioner and for roger goodell. they had to go through three weeks with these inferior officials. i believe roger goodell's reputation, as chief officer of the league has to take a hit for allowing this to go on for three allowing this to go on three weeks in the regular season. he cam out and made a statement tonight. very interesting in it. he mentioned the fans. the one thing i would look to see the commissioner do on this, i don't think he will, i think he should. come out and apologize. come out and say, look, i messed this up. it should have gotten done sooner. he won't. but he should. >> probably not a smart bet to think we will get an apology out of this. >> but what do you thing was the number one sticking point they got resolved, you think the refs

made out well in the new deal? >> they did. from all accounts, it sounded like the federers made out pretty well. more details of the deal will come out today in term of financial numbers. for the next five years, the sticking point they get to keep their pensions. so what do the owners really gain? they got a compromise from the refs in terms of number of officials. they wanted to add more officials and have more crews. but the refs were worried that was going to hurt the overall compensation pool that they were receiving. that's not going to happen as of right now. they're going to create some sort of developmental group to start bringing in new referees so that years down the line, they'll have some more guys to go to. >> and we're also hearing that quite an increase in compensation, making $149,000 in 2011. it will go up to $173,000 by 2013. $205,000 by 2019. they will be getting compensated. the honeymoon will last five days, right, jason?

>> it will last for a few days until somebody misses a pass interference call. here's something to think about real quick. what if the packers miss out on the post season by one game. think about it. what if seattle gets in because of one game? i think that is a fair point too. look, you will have the refs back out there. they temporarily lift the lockout for tonight. so that the refs can have the opportunity to ratify this deal, friday, saturday. there is a lockout in place. it will just be temporarily lifted so they can get the real refs out there for the game. later tonight. >> jason, thank you so much. thank you so much for being with us. we will have the latest coming up on "good morning america." stick with us, everybody. to presidential politics now, where the obama campaign is releasing a new two-minute ad and in key battleground states, the president lays out a plan to create are manufacturing jobs, promote u.s.-made energy and train workers and reduce the deficit. voters in ohio liked the message the president delivered on jobs

there yesterday. polls show mr. obama widening his lead in the state. mitt romney also in the buckeye state telling audiences he cares about the people of america. romney acknowledging that some of the polls show him behind president obama. but he pointed to the first presidential debate less than a week from now as a potential turning point in the race. in new york it was a rough ride for nearly 200 people aboard a brazilian jetliner from rio. they were bracing for a crash landing at kennedy airport because the landing gear was stuck sideways. you can see it there. the pilot circled twice before touching down. the nose gear seemed to miraculously straighten itself out just before the plane hit the tarmac. thankfully no one was injured. but some anxious moments aboard that plane. airlines across the country are raking in big profits from what used to be a free service. they're pocketing billions of dollars in baggage fees all coming at the expense of fed up passengers. abc's brandi hitt has the story. >> reporter: checking your bag at the airport has added up to big business for u.s. airlines. so big airlines raked in record

profits from each and every luggage fee according to a new federal report. >> it's outrageous. >> i think it's awful. >> that's the second $50 charge we've had in a week. >> reporter: those fees starting at $25 added up to $1.7 billion in just the first half of this year. delta airlines topped the list, making nearly $430 million. united was number two, with $351 million. >> they're not going to go away any time soon. >> reporter: abc news travel and lifestyle editor genevieve brown says some airlines are even taking baggage fees to a whole new level in time for the holidays. >> spirit airlines will be charging as much as $100 for a carry-on bag. i think that might take a lot of people by surprise over the thanksgiving holiday. >> per carry on? >> reporter: the transportation department inspector general also sees baggage fees continuing as the airline industry deals with increasing oil prices, labor disputes, and and consolidation. leaving less competition and fewer flight options.

>> to say you have to pay more money when fuel is going down for baggage. is some what ludicrous. >> reporter: one airline taking advantage of the backlash is southwest. >> you have to give it up for bags fly free. >> reporter: in a new ad, southwest is trying to gain customers with the bags fly free policy. jetblue also gives customers their first checked bag free. experts say the best way to try to save money is book your tickets for tuesday, wednesdays or saturdays which are typically the cheapest days to fly. brandi hitt, abc news, los angeles. >> thank you, brandi. that brings us to the facebook question of the day -- will higher airline fees force you to change your travel plans. holidays a few weeks away. log on to our facebook page. wnnfans.com. and weigh in, everybody. >> i usually go home in january instead of end of december. >> on a plane in a few hours to new orleans. see what the baggage fees are today. yeah. here's your thursday forecast, everybody. chance for showers in the northeast. pittsburgh to cleveland, louisville, wichita, oklahoma

city. also, stormy from the texas panhandle to brownsville. showers from the colorado rockies to rapid city. >> 90s in sacramento, phoenix, dallas. mostly 70s in the heartland. 80s in the southeast. yes, sounds good. well, everything is bigger in texas, of course. one thing may be shrinking, the texas twang. >> whew. >> it's okay. relax. researchers from university of texas are on the case. their texas english project find that the twang is very much alive, but it is now more of a matter of choice. >> yes, you can -- you can still hear expressions like, down yonder and y'all. but it depends on who the texan is talking to and what they're talking about. see, i happen to think the southern accent -- oh. >> if you really want to hear the twang of texas, you got to go out to dallas first, johnson county, wise county. >> i don't know that i have that much twang. i don't think people have lost their twang. >> i lost my twang, texas as a

whole i don't think it any lost. >> researchers say what is changing the twang is urbanization, mass technology and influx of newcomers and it comes alive if you ask a texan to talk about texas pride. >> i happen to like the southern accent. i think a little -- the twang is kind of sexy for the ladies. i don't know, i like it. it's a cultural thing. i like it. i hope it is not dying out. >> i love "friday night lights." that texas twang. >> texas football show. you like it. southern accent. >> the show is gone, unfortunately. >> never mind. different thought. go ahead. coming up, a national guard unit returns home afghanistan to a cheering crowd in indiana. an amazing homecoming. our favorite story of the day. >> absolutely. first, something is amok in our nation's capital, not in the usual way. how a national monument is mired in mess. you are watching "world news now." ♪ washington, d.c. ♪ it's paradise to me ♪ it's not because it is the grand old seat ♪ >> announcer: "world news now"

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sign up at rid-x.com. ♪ w-a-s-h-i-n-g-t-o-n, d.c. oh, yes, the nation's capital. a majestic city nestled on the shores of the potomac. before city was there it was a swamp. >> we mention it there is a swamplike feel to one of d.c.'s

famous bodies of water. and that shouldn't be the case as abc's paul beaven reports. >> reporter: washington's national mall, a stunning showcase of american history. but these days, tourists strolling along the reflecting pool probably aren't humming "america the beautiful" that is unless they love algae. >> kind of gross, yeah. that's a little bit of a letdown. >> reporter: 'o beautiful for spacious skies -- waves of algae are spoiling the view. >> you don't get an image like this anywhere else. kind of a detraction. >> reporter: a slimy, smelly detraction that two years and $34 million in renovations were supposed to clear up. the water in the pool used to come from d.c.'s drinking supply. now a brand new pump and pipe system circulates water from the tidal basin and filters with ozone. the park service is calling this a break-in period. saying the new system just needs some fine-tuning.

>> i know it doesn't look that good. it is not unexpected. this is a very complex water treatment system. you are going to have to tweak and refine it. >> reporter: for now, fine tuning means skimming green gobs of sludge out of this american icon, the place where martin luther king jr. told the world he had a dream, where a million men marched. and, of course, forrest gump took the plunge for love. hard to imagine any one taking the plunge into this for anything any time soon. the park service insists algae is a small bump in the road that will eventually clear up. what is not clear, however, whether that will happen in time for a rededication ceremony to be set for this saturday. paul beamon, abc news, new york. wow, reflecting pool is almost as dirty as congress. wow. >> uh-huh. i don't. i really don't. i was kind of grossed out by the algae. throw a little bleach in. maybe that will kill it. >> i don't think it will be ready for saturday for the ceremony.

>> huh-uh. >> not the smart bet. all right. "the skinny" is coming up next.

♪ ♪ skinny ♪ ♪ so skinny ♪ skinny ♪ so skinny >> oh, welcome bacever ♪ skinny ♪ so skinny , welcome back, everybody, to

"the skinny." some, i guess, interesting news out of the music world a little bit. everyone knows lmfao, you know you've seen them on "good morning america," i'm sure. >> laugh my face off? >> that's it. you have seen the guys, great band, distinct look to say the least. well, apparently, they're kind of taking a little hiatus. but they're saying the band is not breaking up. they're saying they decided to take time to explore individual interests in music and other areas in entertainment. they broke the news last week. and saying going to call it quits, temporary, not going to break up. saying, look, we have been at this thing for five, six years, we just want to do other stuff for a while. we have seen this before. band say we're taking time off to do their own thing and never come back. the guys are hugely successful. you hope they -- after so many monster hits. come back together. they're on hiatus for now. >> doing their own independent thing. >> exactly. so bradley cooper and zoe

sal dan know are reportedly back together thanks to his mom. apparently he is a bit of a mama's boy. started dating earlier this year, lasted three months. it fizzled. worked on a new movie. "the word." his mom encouraged him to get back together with zoe. she said she was the first girlfriend she liked and approved since he dated renee zellweger. so how about that? mom says get back together with her. and son says okay. he admitted the attraction was still there. they are promoting the movie. so they're giving it another -- >> a good-looking couple. that's, you know what i mean. mom knows best. mom's relationship is a -- you know, an important one. and mom knows what she wants for her baby boy. good for that mom stepping in -- to intervene. speaking of relationships for those who are jersey shore fans, out there, first snooki had the baby. now more relationship news coming from the show. j-woww, snooki's cohort is

engaged to boyfriend roger matthews. he is 37 years old. and he asked for her hand in marriage after they went skydiving. here is the news, here is the news. she is 27. now she is rocking a pink and white diamond engagement ring of 7.5 carats. that is a major, major rock there. so -- >> wonder who paid for that? >> he's like a truck driver. good guy. if you have ever seen the show. and, but apparently, i can't imagine what a 7.5 carat ring costs. her hand is mighty heavy these days. they are officially engaged. hey he wanted to get a big ring. pink and white, 7.5 carats. wow. >> are you sure it's not c.z.? >> anything is possible. at the jersey shore. they're happy. god bless j-woww and roger. hope it lasts. >> a couple. i really like. jennifer garner and ben affleck, they have three kids now. on "ellen" going to air today. she talks about something we didn't know about ben.

apparently, he has, quote, wonder sperm. they were talking about it. he wants more kids. she is like, i am shutting it down right now. they have three kids. she tells ellen i plan to be done. but my husband is kind of a wonder sperm kind of guy. ellen said good to know, laughed and kind of moved on. where are you supposed to go with that? >> those michael phelps' sperm. the rest is up to you. so consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, they pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay. and save you up to thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs. call today to request a free decision guide to help you better understand what medicare is all about. and which aarp medicare supplement plan works best for you. with these types of plans, you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients... plus, there are no networks, and you'll never need a referral to see a specialist.

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>> let's welcome home, the 713th engineer company. >> reporter: they came in from the light to the hangar full of loved ones. and as a sea of relief washed over each soldier, each family, grateful thoughts turned to the hugs and kisses that will never be. >> all those guys are here with us all the time. >> reporter: it was last january when a roadside bomb took the lives of specialists christopher patterson, brian lenhart. leonhardt was 21 and his father welcomed home the 713th. >> i want to meet the commander and as many of the guys as i can shake their hand. >> reporter: the four killed in the bombing were in the same vehicle with specialist doug rackowitz who nearly died, he was helped at the scene by his brother-in-law clint jordan and this was their first meeting since the blast. >> we felt like, you know, we

could get one. >> i am so proud of him for what he did over there. and i love you. and i missed you. >> reporter: the 713th lost specialists nicholas taylor and sergio perez who were killed by small arms fire in an ambush. >> i tell you these men. serve again with them in a heartbeat. >> reporter: when the days were long and the road home seemingly longer, the word of the soldier echoed, in their heads, charlie mike, which stand for the word continue mission. >> he didn't make it home. we did stick together. >> reporter: that mission ended with an honor forged through perseverance. >> we just held on to each other's hands and drove on and completed the mission. and made it home. >> oh. >> incredible story. >> they were there to clear roadside bombs for an entire year. just imagine the danger of that particular mission. >> the deadliest ever deployment

for a unit of the indiana national guard. you can imagine what those guys @

this morning on "world news now" -- battle in the buckeye state. the presidential candidates both zero in on ohio. this morning on "world news now" -- battle in the buckeye state. the presidential candidates both zero in on ohio. >> we're going to have the latest numbers showing voter support shifting in crucial states. it's thursday, september 27th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." good morning. i'm rob nelson. >> and i'm paula faris. we should let everybody know we're going to be gone tomorrow. >> we are not on assignment. you are going to baltimore with some friends.

>> a girlfriend reunion. >> yeah, i'm going to new orleans. going to new orleans to chill out for a little bit and say good-bye to the daily staff of the "times-picayune." different story. we'll see you get together tuesday. short little break. >> in a moment, the all-important poll numbers, 40 days to go. ahead, breaking news back in the game. the nfl and referees hammering out a deal. ending that long lockout. the agreement coming 48 hours after that fiasco on the field in seattle. >> oh, sports fans, collective sigh of relief across football nation today. deal done. also this half hour, 'tis the season, retailers ramping up their holiday hiring with hundreds of thousand of jobs up for grabs. a lot of folks looking for work. this is the time to get on the payroll. later for you moms and pops out there, we will share best new ideas to make life with the kids easier.

our feature, segment, called "parents' picks." >> your segment, what's up. learn cool stuff, all the parents out there? >> you having a baby. something i should know. >> no, no, no. >> sharing stuff, tested. some new stuff just coming out. and old tried and true products you got to have. like the top five. find out somebody is pregnant. got to get these. >> paula's favorite things like oprah. >> a few of my favorite things. before we get to all of that, president obama and mitt romney battle for voters today in virginia. another state that will be critical in the still-close election. >> yesterday candidates had dueling appearances appealing to workers in ohio. abc's karen travers joining us this morning with more on the campaign. karen? >> reporter: good morning, rob. good morning, paula. it was crystal clear from the candidates' schedule yesterday just how critical ohio is to winning the white house. but right now president obama has the edge there.

ohio is the center of the political universe. >> i love toledo, ohio. >> hello, ohio! >> reporter: it was a buckeye state brawl between president obama and mitt romney. >> i am not fighting to create democratic jobs or republican jobs, i'm fighting to create american jobs. >> you want four more years with 23 million people struggling to find a job? >> reporter: in ohio election day is really election five weeks. starting next tuesday voters can cast their ballots. presidential contenders are working furiously to lock down support now. right now it is the president who has the clear edge. abc news moved ohio from the tossup column to lean obama. that puts the president within 15 electoral votes of the 270 he needs to win re-election. ohio has been trending obama for weeks. one new poll has him up 10 points. but, a senior romney adviser seemed to suggest their own polling shows a much tighter race. and that's why they're still fighting for ohio's 18 oral o

but soon the ro be forced to decide whe be fsurer to decide whe in ba in an interview with abc's david muir, romney said he is even in the national polls, and he's not d >> at this early stage. polls go up. polls go down. >> reporter: florida is quickly becoming a must win scenario for romney. yesterday a new poll came out that showed the president with a nine-point lead there. if romney were to lose ohnd florida, winning the white house rob, paula. bac you >> thank you, karen. all about ohio and a. the latest gallup poll, the 50-sident up by six po but the news is not good in some critical states. florida, 53-44. obama up by 9. and in ohio up by 10. in pennsylvania up by 12. 54-42, what some analysts are saying, these are the first polls taken that kind of show the full effect of that secretly taped video of romney at that fund-raiser down in boak that raton. maybe this is hit from the videotape reflected in the numbers.

>> 32 states allow early voting. thursday it begins. next week, october 2nd it be in ohio. but 25.7% in 2008 of the votes were all early votes. >> people take advantage of it. that's why some voter id stuff has gotten controversial. some governors are trying to limit early voting. but, so, getting interesting. 40 days to go. next wednesday of course the debate is going to be huge. that could be another bre breakthrough moment for somebody. high drama at new york's jfk airport. emergency crews called to the tarmac as a jetliner approached with landing gear that failed. the pilot told passengers to prepare for a hard landing. reporter sarah wallace of our new york station wabc was there. >> reporter: the relieved applause of passengers. juan captured it all on his iphone as flight 8078 from rio made an emergency landing at kennedy airport. >> you could see firefighters and emergency. >> so crazy. >> you were afraid? >> reporter: it had been an agonizing wait for those onboard

the airbus 330 who knew that something was potentially very wrong. >> they told us the front gear was, had a problem. so we would have emergency landing. >> reporter: the airbus circled twice as pilots frantically tried to get the nose gear of the jet straightened out. it was stuck sideways. controllers in the tower kept check the airbus there was this exchange. >> tower 8078, the nose gear landing gear appears normal. >> 8078, it does not appear to be normal. >> thank you very much, 8078. 8078, it appears cocked at 90 degrees. >> reporter: just as the airbus went around for a third time and landed with emergency crews on stand by, the nose gear straightened out. one first responder who witnessed the drama, told us it was a hand of god moment. >> a lot of things go through your mind, like that may be the last time you will fly or have a

chance to see anybody. but, again, it worked out fine. >> reporter: and it did work out fine. although the aircraft was diverted to jfk's longest runway, the bay runway which is 14,000 feet, just as a precaution. obviously now federal investigators trying to determine what went wrong with that nose gear. >> relieved passengers there. in other news this morning, the university of california has agreed to pay a $1 million settlement stemming from a controversial pepper spraying incident. campus police sparked outrage across the country when they were videotaped last year pepper spraying peaceful occupied protesters at u.c. davis. you probably remember that video. the 21 people sprayed in the incident will get $30,000 apiece, plus a written apology. the school also has to pay the plaintiff's atto fee a judge still has to approve the

deal, though. breaking news overnight, deal, though. breaking news overnight, thankfully, the prols will bac it was that controversial call by the replacement refs at monday's packers/seahawks game that forced the two sides into marathon talks. referees will vote on the new eight-year agreement this weekend but the lockout will be lifted in the meantime. official officials on the field for the ravens and browns game tonight. you know there is some concern about the 121 refs necessarily have they been briefed on some o rul aedals,hey physicals and briefed on t so they should be ready to go. >> which is a great thing. a lot of folks are relieved. trying to dig up the e-mail the producer sent to us about the >> $149,000 in 2011. and that will increase to $173,000 by 2013, that is, and $205,000 by 2019. keep in mind, this is not a full-time job for a lot. these are side jobs. >> that is a lot of dough.

i didn't know the refs. i figured it was decent paying job. not $200,000 a year for refs? i mean, whew. shows you how lucrative the nfl is. >> no one is starving that is for sure. here is your thursday forecast everybody. showers from the colorado rockies to south dakota. a wet day from new mexico to south texas. undrms chit. & e. philly and >> 60s and 70s from northeast into the at lte dakotas. 80s in atlanta, miamew 97 in phoenix. just 67 in colorado springs. >> see you in a few hours, new orleans. can't wait. also this morning, sacramento woman honored after her heroic action saved the life of a little boy. elise nelson described how she looked down from her upstairs patio to see a 2-year-old lifeless little boy right there in the pool. his 3-year-old brother asking

for help. >> she ran downstairs, started cpr then called 911. by the time paramedics got there the child was breathing again. every parent's worst nightmare. if you have a pool around that your child will find its way. >> amen to good samaritans. >> coming up, parents' picks" and showing you producat way. >> very cool. first, the holidays are getting closer. getting clos.". ♪ light blue ♪ i'll wait up for you dear ♪ santa baby >> announcer: "world news now" weather brought to you by peachtree settlement funding. it's time to change the way we clean.

it's time to free ourselves from the smell and harshness of bleach. and free ourselves from worrying about the ones we love. new lysol power & free has more cleaning power than bleach. how? the secret is the hydrogen peroxide formula. it attacks tough stains and kills 99.9% of germs. new lysol power & free. powerful cleaning that's family friendly. another step forward in our mission for health. ♪ santa baby ♪ a '54 convertible too light blue ♪ here we go again, holidays coming again.

only the end of september, of course, halloween still down the road, thanksgiving way off in the distance. but that may be the case on the calendar, at least. >> you don't have your christmas presents purchased already? >> is it christmas eve? >> for retailers looking to step up for the holiday season this is primetime, abc's cecilia vega met job-seekers in l.a. >> reporter: just about everyone in line at this los angeles job fair was clinging to two things, a resume and hope. how long you have been out of work? >> for eight months now. >> reporter: wow. >> it's been hitting hard, economy, anything you can get your hand on right now you have to take it. >> reporter: for the unemployed, gifts may be coming early this year as many as 700,000 seasonal jobs around the country will be up for grabs. and in preparation for what could be the best holiday hiring season in five years, some of the biggest names in retail are already accepting applications. kohl's plans to hire 52,000

workers. a whopping 10,000 more jobs than last holiday season. at wal-mart, 50,000 jobs. 45,000 at toys "r" us, up 5,000 from last year and as many as 90,000 jobs at target. >> what we are seeing this year, retailers placing big bets. >> reporter: jobs that earn $7 an hour means a paycheck of more than $5,000 by the end of the holiday crush. it may not be much to live on, but for laid off call center worker matthew, it is a holiday wish come true. >> i was looking at the store down there, just something for the holidays, extra income, and pay down some credit cards and stuff like that. >> reporter: for some, temporary jobs will turn permanent. last year, toys "r" us kept 15% of seasonal workers, 6,000. target kept 30%, nearly 30,000 people. >> i actually applied at target. hope i get a call back from them. >> reporter: fingers crossed. >> yes. >> people complain that holidays come so fast. some retailers, 40% of their

business is determined by the black friday to christmas sales. important, hopefully folks will get the job. come see santa. sit on my lap. tell me what you want. >> sit on your lap? >> ha-ha! >> announcer: abc's "world news now" will continue after this from our abc stations.

♪ >> welcome back, everybody. you spoke and we certainly heard you. we know a lot of you are up with your kids in the middle of the night, joyfully of course, right. tonight we launch a new segment devoted to all you parents out there. when you are looking for the best products you don't need to go to an expert, you go to the people who are in the trenches every day and that's the parents. we are launching "parents' picks" an opportunity for us here at abc to share our favorite products that are tried, tested and true. asl as the as well as the a chance to hear from you. we want to know what products that you just cannot live without. this week, i am sharing my top

six. whatever i find out that a friend is pregnant, highly recommend these six products. go register for them. we'll begin with the ergo carrier, we are wearing it right now. you have seen carriers where the baby rides forward, away from you. this is nice because, ergo, ergonomic, what it does is spreads the weight around. nothing worse than after 20 minutes of wearing a baby carrier, your back is literally broken. this spreads the weight around. can't tell the baby is attached to you or near you. there are three ways you could wear it. front, to the side, and then actually on the back. my kids have worn this and i have worn this since they were babies. an infant insert you can use when they're really, really small. and then you can wear this up to 35 pounds. my son still, still loves to ride on my back. because he know it quite at, the peak of that weight limit. next we go to the bundle me. i got to till you, there is nothing worse than trying to jam your kid in that bulky, heavy, winter coat into the car seat, or into the stroller. the bundle me by jj cole alleviates that.

install it in your car seat. when you are ready to go. you put the baby without a heavy winter coat. you zip it up. nice and warm. they have a myriad of options. you can see an arctic version, lighter version, urban version. when the baby outgrows the car seat. there is a larger version for the stroller which brings me over here. as you can see, see, just zip it on up. no winter coat needed. and, speaking of strollers. i can't tell you how much money i have wasted on strollers. i have probably gone through ten strollers. before stumbling upon the bob. now, it's a little bigger, it's a little bulkier. for the money i love it. the single hold up to 70 pounds. and the dooley holds up to 100 pounds.

for my money, love, love, love the bob stroller. go back over off to the table. and, this is a boppy. sitting in boppy is big baby, my daughter's little dolly. she will freak out when she realizes mommy took it. my husband calls it big creepy. i think you can figure out why. the boppy pillow, affordable for nursing moms or moms in general. if you don't want to nurse it giveses you a lot of support when you want to nurse. wrap it around your belly. sit down. put the baby on there. you can, you can nurse, very, very comfortably. when the baby is a little older. when big creepy can sit up on her own, this is a great way just to build a little bit of neck strength. what's nice, as well as the cover is removable. so if, baby happens to spit up or, or mess up on it, you can just put it in the laundry. okay. this is -- i can highly recommend it. this is a sleep training night light. i cannot live without this. my friend told me my son has strange sleeping patterns. this is look a night light and

sleeping aid all in one. what happens you plug it into the wall. looks like this until night time you. program it yourself. at night time it lights up look a moon. a signal for the child to go to sleep. then you program it for wakeup time as well. so when the sun comes out, that means they can wake up. and if they get out of bed at 5:30 and the moon is on. you say, has the sun come up? no, it hasn't, so go to bed and wait for the sun to come up. this has been crucial for my little guy. text hook, learned about this. brand new product on the market. great for your phone. you can put it on the stroller. and, and have access to your iphone. also attach it to the bar in front. so if you want your child to take in any movies or anything without touching your phone, you can attach it to the bar in front of the stroller and they can just watch whatever show, "sesame street" or what have you without getting your phone all grubby and nasty.

so if you want to see the segment again or weigh in for our next episode, go to our facebook page, wnnfans.com and look for "parents' picks" icon. send us products, looking for a sippy cup that doesn't like. haven't found one yet. and we'll be sharing your feedback in the future. thank you for watching, everybody. thank you for watching, everybody. 3q

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prove it. enough is enough. d-con baits are specially formulated to kill in one feeding. guaranteed. d-con. get out. from the why didn't i from the "why didn't i think of this category," heels, high heels have to be the bane of my existence. >> don't know how you do it. >> they're jacked up now. this woman from boston had a fantastic idea. she has convertible heels, day to night heels. heels that you can change the heel, have a high heel, a medium heel, a low heel. one pair of shoes with multiple heel heights. until the heel snaps off and you break your ankle. the shoes can retail for $300. if you preorder you can get it for $150. i think a fantastic idea. >> depend on how sturdy it is.

since they're removable like that. >> you know what? i think we need a pair. how sturdy it is as she whips her hair around. >> this is so, oh. >> day to night. change, change your heel but not your whole shoe. >> smart though. like, how tall, what's that, 3, 4 inches? >> checking out my heels? >> how y'all walk in it. makes sense to me. this we all experienced. a crying kid in the airplane. like the worst sound on earth. well, apparently, air asia is now doing something, creating what they're calling quiet zones where they're literally going to reserve the first seven economy class rows exclusively for guests age 12 and above. doesn't cost more than what you pay for seats with leg room. trying to separate, you know the babies from the rest of the people on the plane just trying to get to where they're going in peace and quiet. the name, quiet zones. now this is air asia. don't think this will take off

here in the u.s. because it would be a logistical nightmare and the practical point, if the kid is crying loud enough the whole plane is going to hear it no matter what. you can't block that out unless you have headphones or whatever. >> playing devil's advocate, flying with a child, i have two one of the most stressful situations. everybody is getting annoyed. there's nothing you can really do. it's tough. >> it's a tough spot for everybody. it really is. paul ryan was gunning for support in ohio, literally. you know -- >> battleground state. >> avid outdoorsman. a picture of him buying camo gear. he took ten minutes off the trail buying camo gear for his 10-year-old daughter. of course, you know, it created a little bit of a backlash from the other side. so to speak. some of the supporters tweeted this photo and photos like this, supporting, not his daughter. supporting the right to bear arms. children clearly, you know -- clearly bearing arms. >> talk amongst yourselves. last thing up. check out the picture, real or

fake? giant stingray in the cayman island. is this photo shopped. jaws version of a sting ray or what?

this morning on "world news now" -- breaking news. back in the zone. the nfl has reached a late-night deal with its referees. >> they will be back on the field for tonight's game in baltimore. it is thursday, september 27th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." good morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. >> and i'm paula faris. this is great news for the players and the fans, still not going to change the saints' 0-3 record. and we're going to have the details -- just kidding. first a look at some of the other stories we are following on this thursday morning. >> indeed. they're calling it the buckeye brawl, the presidential

candidates are fighting for the all-important vote in ohio. why the state is so important in the campaign. this news is, this week in news has not been kind to mitt romney. down in polls across the board. including in ohio and florida. mathematically he cannot win the election if he loses both of the states. he is fighting hard now. but it appears to be slipping away. >> early voting opens in ohio the day before the presidential debate. so next october 2nd is when early voting begins in ohio. >> big showdown on the 3rd. should be good. plus a food fight in our nation's cafeterias. the federal government says students are eating healthier, they say they're hungry. the creative way that the students are now fighting back. >> the new nutritional guidelines went into effect. the kids say they're not feeling full after the lunch. the calorie, maximum calories has been lowered on the lunches. also her pen has been magic to say the least for years now author of the "harry potter"

series is now ready to try her hand at writing for adults. she shares with abc now her new book is more reality though than fantasy. quite day departure from the "harry potter" series. interesting back story on her and kind of what motivated the new book. kind of cool hearing from miss rowling. but first, news breaking overnight. professional nfl referees will be back in the game tonight. thank you, lord. the league reached an agreement with the refs late last night. the lockout is over. >> since that outrageous call monday night in seattle. we begin our coverage with abc's dan harris. >> reporter: that late game debacle, that hail mary, that scramble in the end zone and two replacement refs each making totally different calls. >> this is comical to me. >> the call on the field stands. touchdown. the game is over. >> reporter: the touchdown that really looked like an interception. but let seattle beat green bay. it infuriated everybody from the announcers to the fans to the players.

and even briefly united president obama and republican v.p. candidate paul ryan. >> give me a break. >> reporter: it appears to be what finally brought the powerful nfl owners and referees union to this deal arrived at after a marathon negotiating session. the refs had been locked out since june in a dispute over both compensation and the power to bench bad referees. but the replacement refs brought in by the league, including one guy who had previously been fired by the women only lingerie football league proved to be infinitely worse. >> these replacement officials are not up to the speed of the game. they're not calling the things that the regular officials would see. >> reporter: the blown calls led to coaches throwing temper tantrums, players arguing their safety was being put at risk, and fans desperately missing the regular refs who are usually taken for granted. >> but the last three weeks we have been focusing on the

officials. that's the wrong thing to look at. it's kind of obvious. people watch football games now, they're saying, how many bad calls are the officials going to make? that's the problem right now. >> reporter: the nfl says there will be regular refs back on the field for browns/ravens game and sunday the rest of the refs will also take the field. and now, they will no longer be taken for granted. dan harris, abc news, new york. >> music to the ears of many football fans out there. joining us live by phone to talk more about this new deal, jason page from espn radio in new york. >> jason, if you can hear us, probably all familiar with jason, he works with us every monday morning. jason, how much did that botched call on "monday night football" have to do with getting this deal done just a couple days later? >> it clearly brought the league and its owners a lot closer to what the referees were looking for. from all accounts, paula, rob, it felt like the referees made out pretty well here. more details of this deal will come out later today. for at least the next five

years, they get to keep their pensions. that was a big battle for them. and you can start asking the question -- what do the owners and commissioners really gain by making their league, you know, the butt of many jokes for the past several weeks. >> jason, as far as you can tell right now what was the main sticking point in terms of why the lockout began in the first place? we heard issues about obviously compensation, ability to bench the bad refs, what was the number one issue and how did they resolve it as far as what we know, we know this news is still breaking though? >> well, again, the pension was one of the big deals. also the league wanted to be able to add more officials which was going to reduce the overall compensation pool for all of the officials put together. they wanted to start raising a new crop of younger officials. that could help carry the legacy of officiating in this league. now, there was a compromise on that. where the owners were able to get some sort of developmental, some sort of developmental block of additional referees that would take part.

but the bottom line is, the overall compensation for referees really isn't changing much immediately. i think this was a big score for the officials when all is said and done. >> real quick, any concerns that the permanent crew who will be back in place for the game tonight that they will be rusty since they have been out of commission for a little bit? >> well, it's a possibility. but you know they have been watching film of the games the past few weeks while they were waiting for this thing to get ironed out. and what really helps is that a lot of the referees and in particular, the referees in particular they will use tonight tonight's game, and officials they'll use tonight, they live just a short drive from where this game is being played in baltimore. that's going to help them out a great deal. >> jason page of espn radio new york. jason, as always, a pleasure to have you on "world news now." >> certainly, jason, the refs, the professional refs can't be any rustier than the ones we have been seeing for the past couple weeks, man. that's for sure. thanks for being here, we appreciate it. we're going to move to the other big story on wednesday morning. thursday, i should say,

wednesday, thursday. >> thursday. >> wow this shift kills me. politics is the story. and the presidential battleground moves to virginia today in fact where president obama and mitt romney have dueling campaign appearances. the second day in the row they shared the same state. yesterday was ohio. the candidates were focused there on job creation and also the threat to american workers from china. >> i am not fighting to create democratic jobs or republican jobs, i'm any fighting to create american jobs. >> do you want four more years with 23 million people struggling to find a job? >> romney, though, is facing a very uphill battle in that state. abc news now has moved ohio from the toss-up column to the lean-obama column in its electoral college ratings. now to the latest fiery rhetoric from the iranian president, railing against the west in what was likely his final speech before the u.n. general assembly. mahmoud ahmadinejad blasting the

u.s. and european union accusing them of entrusting themselves to the devil. he also referred to israelis as "uncivilized zionists" and ahmadinejad made no mention of iran's nuclear program but he called for a new world order. both u.s. and israeli delegations boycotted the speech which lasted roughly 35 minutes. and the civil war raging in syria has hit a grim milestone. more than 340 people were killed yesterday, making it the deadliest day yet. that number includes at four military guards who died in back to back suicide car bombs in damascus. syria's state tv released this dramatic video showing the moment the first bomb went off right there. exploding from a white van. the opposition claims that the twin blasts actually killed dozens. we are also following a bizarre story unfolding in phoenix. a man there has been arrested after posting this video that

shows a teenager dressed in a sheet aiming a rocket launcher at passing cars. at first michael hurley claimed it was a scene from a movie he was making. but when he posted it to youtube he said it was a test to see how fast the police would respond to a terrorist. they responded all right. arresting hurley for faking a terror attack as well as for endangerment. wow. >> that's what we call a very bad joke. well, emergency crews rushed to the tarmac at jfk airport yesterday. set for a terrifying landing. the jetliner from rio lost control of the front landing gear. the pilot flew low enough for the tower to see the wheels were turned 90 degrees. after a second fly-by and now running low on fuel, the pilot told the passengers to get ready. >> they told us the front gear was -- had a problem. so we would have an emergency landing. >> miraculously, just 50 feet above the runway, the nose gear slips into place and the plane

touched down without incident prompting a huge round of applause from the passengers. >> i guess so. well, the search is on for two missing tennessee children. initially believed to have died in a fire near nashville. investigators say no remains of 9-year-old chloe and 7-year-old brother gauge were found in the burned out farmhouse where they lived with the grandparents. but the grandparents' bodies, they were recovered. the children were last seen sunday evening, hours before that fire. also, police in suburban detroit are looking into a new claim about the location of jimmy hoffa's body. they will take soil samples from the ground beneath a driveway after a man told them he believes he witnessed hoffa's burial 35 years ago. there have been a number of searches for hoffa since the teamster leader disappeared in 1975. an enduring mystery there. wow. what has four wheels and fleas? well, take a look at this.

dogs competing in stroller races in a california backyard. other dogs are their hapless passengers. the four canines live with the same california family. >> they need more maneuverable strollers there. but that's not all they can do. this talented crew, races on scooters and kiddie cars with more crashes than bumper cars. their owner says they're all total clowns and having fun. look at those wagging tails. you can see, the proof is in the pudding. >> that is cute video. all right. coming up next, she made magic and millions, almost a billion from the "harry potter" series for kids. but now will j.k. rowling reel in their parents. we'll hear from the author as she prepares to release her first book for adults. also coming up, a food fight in cafeterias across this country. why students say eating all the healthy food is leaving them hungry for more. you are watching "world news now." ♪

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brings light and fragrance together, to create a mesmerizing experience in your home. try the new color changing candle. something in the air wick. it's time to free ourselves from the smell and harshness of bleach. and free ourselves from worrying about the ones we love. new lysol power & free has more cleaning power than bleach. how? the secret is the hydrogen peroxide formula. it attacks tough stains and kills 99.9% of germs. new lysol power & free. powerful cleaning that's family friendly.

another step forward in our mission for health. ♪ well, gone are the days when the school cafeteria was a smorgasbord of high fat, high calorie food. new federal guidelines make

healthy foods all the rage. >> or are they? in schools across the country, a backlash against new school lunches is well under way. abc's jim avila surveys the complaints. >> reporter: it's the lunchroom revolt. ♪ i need to get some food today ♪ >> reporter: students and teachers at this kansas high school creating a new video protesting the new calorie cutting menus in their cafeteria. they say they're just not getting enough to eat. ♪ we are hungry >> reporter: their complaint, new usda school lunch guidelines rolled out this fall, limiting calories to fight the obesity epidemic among america's youth. the new nutritionist recommended rules restrict elementary schoolers to 650 calories, 700 calories for middle schoolers, 850 for high schoolers. today, you may still find pizza,

chicken nuggets and french fries, but not every day. now half of the plate must be filled with vegetables and fruit, milk on fruit smoothie on every tray. in some schools the amount of food thrown out in cafeterias is shocking. this month we visited a school in suburban chicago where high schoolers analyzed their lunch waste. shocked to find 46 boxes of pears. >> they're all unopened. >> reporter: the week before, 111 vegetable containers were thrown away. >> schools tell us they're seeing a 50% increase in the amount of lunchroom trash. >> too healthy almost. >> reporter: the usda says the new menus are working at some schools. and the rules are long overdue. >> this is really about our children and health of our children. and making sure that we do a better job of providing fruits and vegetables and low fat dairy and whole grains. why, a third of our youngsters are obese or at risk of being obese. >> reporter: plus, despite calorie limits, students can always get seconds of fruits and vegetables. so while the healthy food is on the tray, the challenge for america's lunch lady is to get

the kids to eat it. jim avila, abc news. bristol, virginia. >> drastic change from the days we were in school, mystery meat, jell-o, any change like that will take some time. maybe a long-term goal, if you begin healthy habits now -- >> early. >> -- will lead them into adulthood, healthier than maybe folks are now. >> remember the square pizzas we would get. they said they're having much more success with elementary students. and i think. o, look at that. >> look at that. >> is that -- >> aluminum lunch boxes. >> mork and mindy. >> that's actually us. this is what rob looks like as mork. >> robin williams in the day. >> had to strawberry shortcake pail. all right. coming up next -- don't know what that was.

from single mother to creator of the best-selling book series in history. >> j.k. rowling at it again with a different audience in mind. can she re-create her success with adults? we'll hear what she says about it. coming up next.

author j.k. rowling is up to something very new. >> here is the story. >> reporter: books, movies. >> you are a wizard, harry. >> reporter: merchandise. a theme park. the harry potter universe, j.k. rowling's creation has spellbound millions. but now rowling is leaving her wizarding world behind for a decidedly adult novel called "the casual vacancy." you have gone it seems to me, from the ultimate fantasy to the ultimate reality. >> i have gone from dragons and

unicorns and all of the fun that is involved in writing that to a book that's intensely personal, that expresses a lot of my reality. >> reporter: rowling insists the book is not a memoir but did draw on the darker times of her life to craft her characters. >> we have an adult character that has obsessive compulsive disorder. and these are things i know from the inside, yeah. >> the ocd part as well. >> when i was in my teens i had issues with ocd. >> how did it manifest? >> compulsions like checking things. it is very common. checking, double checking, triple checking. >> reporter: some might wonder why rowling, an almost billionaire, would wright a book putting her reputation on the line. how will you decide whether this was a success? >> it won't sell as many as

"harry potter." lightning doesn't strike twice. >> reporter: instead of chasing harry, roel rolling says she has written a book she felt. darkest side of our humanity and grapple with it. cynthia mcfadden, abc news, edinburgh. pplement insurance pl. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call now and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, it helps pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you thousands in out-of-pocket costs. to me, relationships matter. i've been with my doctor for 12 years. now i know i'll be able to stick with him.

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hotwire to fill them. so i got my four-star hotels for half-price! >> men: ♪ h-o-t-w-i-r-e ♪ hotwire.com >> announcer: save big on car rentals too, from $12.95 a day. ♪ ♪ oh i need someone to read me stories ♪ ♪ oh someone to turn the page finally this half hour, something very special for our friend and our colleague robin roberts. >> robin, of course, is working hard on her recovery, but we thought she could use a little pick-me-up to help her feel better. >> a pick-me-up and the polka master in the house. barry mitchell. >> cheer our girl up, barry. ♪ she's up before sunrise this

tv host brightening your morning while you're making toast ♪ ♪ has a lot of courage and a lot of class ♪ ♪ she helps gma kick the other show's -- ratings ♪ ♪ rockin' robin rockin' robin go rockin' robin and you're really going to feel all right ♪ ♪ you deserve a band and string quartet, but we have no budget and this is all you get ♪ ♪ so we send this greeting it's really no fuss ♪ ♪ i just want it to rhyme stephanopoulos ♪ ♪ rockin' robin rockin' robin ♪ go rockin' robin and you're really going to feel all right ♪ ♪ discipline determination are your guiding principles and we're on board ♪ ♪ but for inspiration that begins with "d" it's "dancing with the stars" on abc ♪ >> your athletic training led

you to sports ♪ whether basketball or on the tennis courts when you're strong and healthy then we'll proudly say go on with your bad self ms. robin renay ♪ ♪ rockin' robin rockin' roberts ♪ ♪ rockin' robin and you're really going to feel right ♪ one more time gangnam style! ♪ go, rocking robin, you are going to feel well ♪ get well soon! >> very nice, barry. very nice. i'm sure robin appreciates that. she is doing her best to get better. we all think about her, praying for her. sending her love. ♪ >> don't confuse everybody. >> yeah. and the "world news now" polka. >> don't bring false hopes here, it's still thursday. >> you better get started on the recovery song. >> i promise, i promise, i will. >> one more, time, let's go out! ♪ rockin' robin rockin' robin

this morning on "world news now," we have some breaking news. done deal, the nfl's official, officials are officially going back to work. >> it took that disastrous "monday night football" call to finally end the league's lockout of the regular refs. it is thursday, september 27th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." good thursday morning, everybody. i'm paula faris. >> and i'm rob nelson. we'll get to the details of the late night nfl settlement in just a second. certainly, welcome news, the real refs back on the field tonight for the game. so let it begin. >> yes. >> yes, yes, man. also this half hour -- >> they won't make one mistake either.

>> wishful thinking. also this half hour, anger at the airlines, passengers have had it up to here with baggage fees. there are some steep new charges on the way. >> had it up to where? >> here. >> i couldn't see. and bittersweet homecoming troops just back from battle carrying the memories of their brothers who didn't return. >> you may want to grab the tissues on that story. beautiful scene there. also, later on, in much lighter news "jersey shore" jewels. j-woww. yep. news about her. you won't believe what she has on her finger. some big news for snooki had the baby. now j-woww has some big personal news. and her hand is just a little heavy these days. we'll get into that. >> i wonder why? it could be heavy? little c.z. there. >> i get it, a tease kind of. begin with the breaking news. deal between the national football league and their referees. the lockout is -- over. score. >> in the end it was the chaos

of course, over that disastrous call monday night by replacement refs that forced the two side back to the table for some marathon talks. >> hate to have to go through it. but hopefully, you can build some character and we can learn something. one thing that we really learned from this as frustrating as it is ultimately it is a game judged by people who are imperfect. >> of course, some judgments are more imperfect than others. so, everyone is glad the professionals will be back tonight. it did not take long once the uproar got crescendoed after monday night. so here we are. done deal. joining us now to talk more about the deal is espn radio new york's jason page. good morning. >> good morning. >> hey, jason, thanks for joining us. i have got to believe the call in seattle ruined the game for the packers that expedited the deal, did it not? >> it sure did. think about this for a second.

this has been going on between the referees and the league since june or july. it took three days to bridge a gap between the owners and the referees and the commissioner and the referees that couldn't be bridged going back to june or july. in my eyes, that's embarrassment for the league and the commissioner and for roger goodell. they had to go through three weeks with these inferior officials. i believe roger goodell's reputation, as chief officer of the league has to take a hit for allowing this to go on for three allowing this to go on three weeks in the regular season. he cam out and made a statement tonight. very interesting in it. he mentioned the fans. the one thing i would look to see the commissioner do on this, i don't think he will, i think he should. come out and apologize. come out and say, look, i messed this up. it should have gotten done sooner. he won't. but he should. >> probably not a smart bet to think we will get an apology out of this. what do you think was the number one sticking point that they got

resolve? you think the refs made out pretty well in this new deal? >> they did. from all accounts, it sounded like the refs made out pretty well. more details of the deal will come out today in term of financial numbers. for the next five years, the sticking point they get to keep their pensions. so what do the owners really gain? well, they got a compromise from the refs in terms of the number of officials. they wanted to add more officials and have more crews. but the refs were worried that was going to hurt the overall compensation pool that they were receiving. that's not going to happen as of right now. they're going to create some sort of developmental group to start bringing in new referees so that years down the line, they'll have some more guys to go to. >> and we're also hearing that quite an increase in compensation, making $149,000 in 2011. it will go up to $173,000 by 2013. $205,000 by 2019. they will be getting compensated. the honeymoon will last five days, right, jason? >> it will last for a few days until somebody misses a pass interference call.

here's something to think about real quick. what if the packers miss out on the post season by one game. think about it. what if seattle gets in because of one game? i think that is a fair point too. look, you will have the refs back out there. they temporarily lift the lockout for tonight. so that the refs can have the opportunity to ratify this deal, friday, saturday. there is a lockout in place. it will just be temporarily lifted so they can get the real refs out there for the game. later tonight. >> jason, thank you so much. thank you so much for being with us. we will have the latest coming up on "good morning america." stick with us, everybody. to presidential politics now, where the obama campaign is releasing a new two-minute ad and in key battleground states, the president lays out a plan to create are manufacturing jobs, promote u.s.-made energy and train workers and reduce the deficit. voters in ohio liked the message the president delivered on jobs there yesterday. polls show mr. obama widening his lead in the state. mitt romney also in the buckeye

state telling audiences he cares about the people of america. romney acknowledging that some of the polls show him behind president obama. but he pointed to the first presidential debate less than a week from now as a potential turning point in the race. in new york it was a rough ride for nearly 200 people aboard a brazilian jetliner from rio. they were bracing for a crash landing at kennedy airport because the landing gear was stuck sideways. you can see it there. the pilot circled twice before touching down. the nose gear seemed to miraculously straighten itself out just before the plane hit the tarmac. thankfully no one was injured. but some anxious moments aboard that plane. airlines across the country are raking in big profits from what used to be a free service. they're pocketing billions of dollars in baggage fees all coming at the expense of fed up passengers. abc's brandi hitt has the story. >> reporter: checking your bag at the airport has added up to big business for u.s. airlines. so big airlines raked in record profits from each and every luggage fee according to a new

federal report. >> it's outrageous. >> i think it's awful. >> that's the second $50 charge we've had in a week. >> reporter: those fees starting at $25 added up to $1.7 billion in just the first half of this year. delta airlines topped the list, making nearly $430 million. united was number two, with $351 million. >> they're not going to go away any time soon. >> reporter: abc news travel and lifestyle editor genevieve brown says some airlines are even taking baggage fees to a whole new level in time for the holidays. >> spirit airlines will be charging as much as $100 for a carry-on bag. i think that might take a lot of people by surprise over the thanksgiving holiday. >> per carry on? >> reporter: the transportation department inspector general also sees baggage fees continuing as the airline industry deals with increasing oil prices, labor disputes, and and consolidation. leaving less competition and fewer flight options. >> to say you have to pay more

money when fuel is going down for baggage. is some what ludicrous. >> reporter: one airline taking advantage of the backlash is southwest. >> you have to give it up for bags fly free. >> reporter: in a new ad, southwest is trying to gain customers with the bags fly free policy. jetblue also gives customers their first checked bag free. experts say the best way to try to save money is book your tickets for tuesday, wednesdays or saturdays which are typically the cheapest days to fly. brandi hitt, abc news, los angeles. >> thank you, brandi. that brings us to the facebook question of the day -- will higher airline fees force you to change your travel plans. holidays a few weeks away. log on to our facebook page. wnnfans.com. and weigh in, everybody. >> i usually go home in january instead of end of december. >> on a plane in a few hours to new orleans. see what the baggage fees are today. yeah. here's your thursday forecast, everybody. chance for showers in the northeast. pittsburgh to cleveland, louisville, wichita, oklahoma city. also, stormy from the texas panhandle to brownsville.

showers from the colorado rockies to rapid city. >> 90s in sacramento, phoenix, dallas. mostly 70s in the heartland. 80s in the southeast. yes, sounds good. well, everything is bigger in texas, of course. one thing may be shrinking, the texas twang. >> whew. >> it's okay. relax. researchers from university of texas are on the case. their texas english project find that the twang is very much alive, but it is now more of a matter of choice. >> yes, you can -- you can still hear expressions like, down yonder and y'all. but it depends on who the texan is talking to and what they're talking about. see, i happen to think the southern accent -- oh. >> if you really want to hear the twang of texas, you got to go out to dallas first, johnson county, wise county. >> i don't know that i have that much twang. i don't think people have lost their twang. >> i lost my twang, texas as a whole i don't think it any lost. >> researchers say what is changing the twang is

urbanization, mass technology and influx of newcomers and it comes alive if you ask a texan to talk about texas pride. >> i happen to like the southern accent. i think a little -- the twang is kind of sexy for the ladies. i don't know, i like it. it's a cultural thing. i like it. i hope it is not dying out. >> i love "friday night lights." that texas twang. >> texas football show. you like it. southern accent. >> the show is gone, unfortunately. >> never mind. different thought. go ahead. coming up, a national guard unit returns home from afghanistan to a cheering crowd in indiana. an amazing homecoming. our favorite story of the day. >> absolutely. first, something is amok in our nation's capital, not in the usual way. how a national monument is mired in a mess. you are watching "world news now." ♪ washington, d.c. ♪ it's paradise to me ♪ it's not because it is the grand old seat ♪ >> announcer: "world news now" weather brought to you by lifestyle lift. what does fall smell like?

head north, to someplace pristine like acadia national park. there is nothing like the parks this time of year. the falling leaves, the crisp air, the perfect inspiration for air wick's fall collection. yeah, when i smell all those things, i know fall is in the air. the fall collection brought to you by air wick and the national park foundation. something in the air wick.

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sign up at rid-x.com. ♪ w-a-s-h-i-n-g-t-o-n, d.c. oh, yes, the nation's capital. a majestic city nestled on the shores of the potomac. before city was there it was a swamp. >> yes, it was, we mention that because there's distinctly

swamp-like feel to one of d.c.'s famous bodies of water. that shouldn't be the case as abc's paul bevan reports. >> reporter: washington's national mall, a stunning showcase of american history. but these days, tourists strolling along the reflecting pool probably aren't humming "america the beautiful" that is unless they love algae. >> kind of gross, yeah. that's a little bit of a letdown. >> reporter: o beautiful for spacious skies olive waves of algae are spoiling the view. >> you don't get an image like this anywhere else. kind of a detraction. >> reporter: a slimy, smelly detraction that two years and $34 million in renovations were supposed to clear up. the water in the pool used to come from d.c.'s drinking supply. now, a brand-new pump and pipe system circulates water from the tidal basin, and filters it with ozone. the park service is calling this a break-in period. saying the new system just needs some fine-tuning. >> i know it doesn't look that good. it is not unexpected. this is a very complex water treatment system.

you are going to have to tweak and refine it. >> reporter: for now, fine tuning means skimming green gobs of sludge out of this american icon, the place where martin luther king jr. told the world he had a dream, where a million men marched. and, of course, forrest gump took the plunge for love. hard to imagine any one taking the plunge into this for anything any time soon. the park service insists algae is a small bump in the road that will eventually clear up. what is not clear, however, whether that will happen in time for a rededication ceremony to be set for this saturday. paul bevan, abc news, new york. >> wow, reflecting pool is almost as dirty as congress. wow. >> uh-huh. i don't. i really don't. i was kind of grossed out by the algae. throw a little bleach in. maybe that will kill it. >> i don't think it will be ready for saturday for the ceremony. >> huh-uh. >> not the smart bet. all right. "the skinny" is coming up next. >> announcer: abc's "world news

now" will continue after this from our abc stations. ?x?xs6$ú

♪ skinny ♪ so skinny , welcome back, everybody, to "the skinny." some, i guess, interesting news out of the music world a little bit. everyone knows lmfao, you know you've seen them on "good morning america," i'm sure.

many times. >> many times. >> party rock. >> laugh my face off? >> that's it. you have seen the guys, great band, distinct look to say the least. well, apparently, they're kind of taking a little hiatus. but they're saying the band is not breaking up. they're saying they decided to take time to explore individual interests in music and other areas in entertainment. they broke the news last week. and saying going to call it quits, but, again, temporary, they're not going to break up. saying, look, we have been at this thing for five, six years, we just want to do other stuff for a while. we have seen this before. band say we're taking time off to do their own thing and never come back. the guys are hugely successful. you hope they -- after so many monster hits. come back together. they're on hiatus for now. >> doing their own independent thing. >> exactly. so bradley cooper and zoe saldana are reportedly back together thanks to his mom. apparently he is a bit of a mama's boy. they started dating earlier this

year, lasted just three months. it fizzled. worked on a new movie. "the word." his mom encouraged him to get back together with zoe. she said she was the first girlfriend she liked and approved since he dated renee zellweger. so how about that? mom says get back together with her. and son says okay. he admitted the attraction was still there. they are promoting the movie. so they're giving it another -- >> that's a good looking couple. that's, you know what i mean. mom knows best. mom's relationship is a -- you know, an important one. and mom knows what she wants for her baby boy. good for that mom stepping in -- to intervene. speaking of relationships for those of you who are "jersey shore" fans out there, first snooki had the baby. now more relationship news coming from the show. j-woww, snooki's cohort is engaged to boyfriend roger matthews. they've been together for about 2 1/2 years. he is 37 years old. and he asked for her hand in marriage after they went skydiving. here is the news, here is the

news. she is 27. now she is rocking a pink and white diamond engagement ring of 7.5 carats. that is a major, major rock there. so -- >> wonder who paid for that? >> that's kind of crazy. he's like a truck driver. good guy. if you have ever seen the show. and, but apparently, i can't imagine what a 7.5 carat ring costs. her hand is mighty heavy these days. they are officially engaged. hey he wanted to get a big ring. pink and white, 7.5 carats. wow. >> are you sure it's not c.z.? >> anything is possible. at "jersey shore." they're happy. god bless j-woww and roger. hope it lasts. >> a couple. i really like. jennifer garner and ben affleck, they have three kids now. on "ellen" going to air today. she talks about something we didn't know about ben. apparently, he has, quote, wonder sperm. they were talking about it. he wants more kids. she is like, i am shutting it down right now.

they have three kids. she tells ellen i plan to be done. but my husband is kind of a wonder sperm kind of guy. ellen said good to know, laughed and kind of moved on. where are you supposed to go with that? >> those michael phelps' sperm. where are you supposed to go with that? >> those michael phelps' sperm. the rest is up to you. so consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, they pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay. and save you up to thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs. call today to request a free decision guide to help you better understand what medicare is all about. and which aarp medicare supplement plan works best for you. with these types of plans, you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients... plus, there are no networks, and you'll never need a referral to see a specialist.

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just 3 easy steps for beautifully clean carpets. it removes 3 times more dirt than vacuuming alone. don't just vacuum clean. resolve clean. ♪ i'm going home to the place where i belong ♪ ♪ your love has always been enough for me ♪ love that song. >> yeah. >> finally this morning's favorite story of the day. it comes to us from the nation's heartland. >> we have shown you plenty of soldiers' homecomings on the show but few as big and as emotional as the one that took place yesterday in indiana. the story from our old friend, eric horng of our chicago station, wlns. >> let's welcome home, the 713th engineer company. >> reporter: they came in from the light to the hangar full of

loved ones. and as a sea of relief washed over each soldier, each family, grateful thoughts turned to the hugs and kisses that will never be. >> all those guys are here with us all the time. >> reporter: it was last january when a roadside bomb took the lives of specialists christopher patterson, brian lenhart. robert passera. leonhardt was 21 and his father welcomed home the 713th. >> i want to meet the commander and as many of the guys as i can shake their hand. >> reporter: the four killed in the bombing were in the same vehicle with specialist doug ra rackowitz who nearly died he was helped at the scene by his brother-in-law clint jordan and this was their first meeting